


bottled stars

by saintsblade



Category: NCT (Band), NCT Dream
Genre: Canon Compliant, ChenJi's This and That, Coming Out, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mentioned Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Mentioned Lee Taeyong, Mentioned Mark Lee (NCT), Mentioned Moon Taeil, boom era, it was the 90's themed episode that did this, minor angst (like a singular paragraph I promise)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:28:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintsblade/pseuds/saintsblade
Summary: As witty and borderline disrespectful as Chenle and Jisung can get with him, Renjun is fond of them, and so sits down to watch the newest Chenji’s This and That episode like he’s been doing ever since it started. It’s 90s themed, and he scoffs under his breath in mild amusement, because he remembers doing and having half these things in his own childhood.When they pull out the strips of paper used to make paper stars, his train of thought goes like this: stars > the sun > Lee Donghyuck.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan
Kudos: 64





	bottled stars

As witty and borderline disrespectful as Chenle and Jisung can get with him, Renjun is fond of them, and so sits down to watch the newest Chenji’s This and That episode like he’s been doing ever since it started. It’s 90s themed, and he scoffs under his breath in mild amusement, because he remembers doing and having half these things in his own childhood. When they pull out the strips of paper used to make paper stars, his train of thought goes like this: stars > the sun > Lee Donghyuck. He’s then reminded of the way Jaemin always acts extra disgustingly cute when he’s trying to get a point across and Jeno’s face contorting into a simultaneously pitying and exhausted, judging stare, and promises himself to fold a jar of stars to give to the star that he so helplessly revolves around. A silent confession, because for all his posturing, Renjun’s a coward who can’t seem to say the words that mean the most.

“Just tell him,” Jeno presses when Renjun tells them about his plan. “Hyuck probably won’t get it if you just give him the stars, we don’t really do that here.”

“That’s the point,” Renjun nods sagely. He’s definitely thought this through already. “If he doesn’t get it, then it’s just a nice decoration.”

“But Lele and Sungie will get it,” Jaemin points out, throwing his leg over Renjun, who grunts at the sudden weight of Jaemin cuddling up to him. “And you know they’re not exactly the most subtle.”

“And that’s why I’ve come to you two instead. You’re my coverup.” Jaemin cards his fingers through Renjun’s hair, and his ministrations, this late at night, make Renjun sleepy. He wonders how Mark and Donghyuck are doing, all the way in the 127 dorms, wonders what Jisung is doing in his room, and what Chenle’s up to in his house with his mother. A sharp little tug causes Renjun to yelp and his eyes to fly open. Jaemin looks a little apologetic, and Jeno laughs.

“As I was saying,” Jeno says, drumming his fingers on Renjun’s arm - when did he get sandwiched between these two, anyway? - “The kids are going to get suspicious so fast.”

“Whatever,” Renjun yawns. “I’m tired. Let’s argue about this tomorrow.” The other two laugh at that, and Jaemin reluctantly untangles himself from Renjun and Jeno to go to his own room, where Jisung is probably lazing on his bed again. 

“Can we just stay like this,” he finds himself whining to Jeno, who doesn’t hesitate at all, shoving an extra pillow at Renjun. “G’night, Jen.”

“Night, Jun,” Jeno says in return, sliding back into bed under the blankets after turning off the lights. It’s warm, and Renjun falls asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, Renjun gets his manager to procure the leftover paper that Chenle and Jisung didn’t use, but he still has to get the glass bottle, so he drags an unsuspecting Jisung out along with him on the premise of spending time together. To be fair, it does feel like they haven’t been able to be alone, the two of them, for a while. Jisung seems a little suspicious, but he gets over it quickly when Renjun buys him his favorite drink from Gongcha. He takes the opportunity to buy some other art supplies he’d been running low on, and claims the glass bottle to be part of one of his projects. That excuse might backfire later - Jisung always was observant - but it isn’t really a lie, so the younger just grins and says he’ll look forward to it. They do hang out, just wandering through Seoul’s streets and occasionally stopping at cafes whenever the urge to eat something pretty hits. Renjun pays for most of them, feeling just a little guilty for dragging Jisung away from doing whatever he was doing just because he’s a coward, so it’s not really surprising that Jisung eventually asks what’s up.

“Hyung, usually we do rock-paper-scissors to decide who pays and you’re being awfully generous today,” the younger reasons. “Not that I don’t appreciate it.”

“We just haven’t hung out, just the two of us, for a while,” Renjun says, and Jisung beams at him from under his bangs. Successful escape. Also, anything to make their maknae smile.

“True. I’m having fun. Thank you for treating me.” Renjun coos and pats Jisung’s shoulder in thanks, despite him being taller. 

“Of course, Jisung-ah.” When they get back, it’s already 4 in the afternoon, so Renjun hurries into his room and starts to work, music quietly playing from his phone. Thankfully, today is a free day, so he can spend as much time as he’d like doing whatever he’d like. He’s about halfway through the bottle when someone knocks on his door, and Jaemin peeks in.

“Jun, did you want to learn something with me today?” ‘Learn something’ usually means choreography. Renjun hesitates for a moment, flipping his options around in his head, but honestly, he really isn’t going to do anything else today. Jaemin is also giving him a puppy-eyed stare, lower lip slightly protruding in a pout, so Renjun deflates and instantly gives in.

“Sure. When?” Jaemin flashes his bright, blinding grin, and his eyes wander to the clock Renjun has hung up over his bed. 

“At 8? So 2 hours?”

“Okay. Come get me before then.” Jaemin nods and leaves, and Renjun goes back to folding his stars, humming under his breath. Not even 10 minutes pass until someone opens the door again, and Renjun spares a glance backwards.

“Oh. Lele. You should remember to knock next time.”

“Don’t sound so unhappy to see me, gege,” Chenle whines. He flops onto Jeno’s bed, stretching like a cat, and Renjun snorts and turns back to his work.

“What are you doing here, Chenle?” Renjun hears shuffling, and the creak of the mattress as Chenle gets up and makes his way to the desk.

“Jisung asked me to hang out. He said you guys were all busy. Are you folding stars? Gege, are you gonna confess to someone?” Chenle jeers, stealing a sheet of the paper and folding his own star as he waits for Renjun’s response.

“Nothing like that,” Renjun throws back. At least they’re conversing in Mandarin, so even if someone walks by, they won’t understand. “I just watched your recent This and That episode.” 

“Yeah?” Chenle throws his star into the bottle, retreating to sit on Jeno’s bed as he watches Renjun work. “Gege, you’re getting kinda red,” he laughs, voice pitching up. “Come on, I won’t tell anyone else about it if you are! I can keep a secret!” Renjun weighs the pros and cons of letting Chenle know: on one hand, he would feel a lot less tense, no longer having to hide, but on the other, he knows Chenle would take every opportunity to jab at him in Mandarin. Whatever happened to having respect for your elders? He sighs, giving up.

“Fine. I am. I’m not telling you who though.” Chenle shrieks and claps, and Renjun knows he has a giant grin on his face. 

“Gege! Is she in our company? A trainee? Outside the industry? Home in China?” Renjun winces as Chenle continues blabbering out possibilities, unfolding a paper he’d accidentally folded wrong. Chenle gasps. “Oh my god, wait, gege, I didn’t even consider - not a girl…?” He hesitantly ventures, scrambling to follow up, “That’s okay if they are a guy! After all it’s just love, right? A-and you never said anything about it before so I’m sorry for assuming —”

Renjun chuckles and drops the finished star into the bottle, getting up to squash Chenle in a tight hug. “Ow! Gege! Watch it!” 

“No...you’re right. This better not leave this room, or I will tell everyone that you’re the one who hid Jaemin’s coffee beans,” he warns, poking the younger’s cheek. Right now, his stomach is churning, as if he were sick, and Chenle is staring at him with bated breath. But it’ll be alright: it’s Chenle, who wouldn’t hate Renjun for hiding this from him; Chenle, who just told him that being gay is okay. So Renjun summons up his courage and tells him truthfully, “It’s for Donghyuck.” Chenle gasps again, wriggling out of Renjun’s grasp to clap his hands. Other than the gleam in his eye Renjun knows all too well to mean that the younger is planning something mischievous, there seems to be profound relief that matches what Renjun feels right now. He contemplates it for a moment before saying softly, “Chenle, is there something you want to say?”

“Wh-what do you mean,” Chenle sputters out, laughing nervously. He seems to be trying to look everywhere except for Renjun. 

“Didi, you know I won’t judge you for anything, unless you’ve done a stupid prank like when you hid all the spoons around the dorm with Jisung that one time.”

“It was one time!” Chenle sulks, “and anyways, we only have like, 10 spoons. it wasn’t that much of a problem.”

“It just happened to be the one night Kun ge brought food over,” Renjun accuses, and the younger pouts, guilty.

“Okay….I already said sorry for it!” Renjun ruffles Chenle’s hair affectionately and puts him in a short headlock, causing him to howl and fling his limbs everywhere in a bid to escape. Eventually, he does manage to worm out, laughing, and he looks much more relaxed than earlier. Renjun’s glad.

“Chenle, you can tell me when you’re comfortable. I won’t make you tell me.” Renjun rubs Chenle’s arm, and the younger grins back at him.

“Okay, gege. I will.” The doorknob squeaks as someone opens the door, and a disgruntled Jisung peeks in. What is it with these kids and not knocking?

“Hey. Chenle...you said you were checking in on Renjun hyung but it’s been like 15 minutes…” Chenle scrambles to his feet, spewing out an apology, and Jisung’s puffed cheeks flatten into a smile. “It’s okay. C’mon, let’s get out of his hair. Have fun with Jaemin hyung later,” Jisung waves, closing the door.

Thinking of Chenle and Jisung, Renjun finishes the bottle of stars before Jaemin comes by. In fact, he’s waiting in the kitchen, scrolling through Twitter, when Jaemin taps him on the shoulder. The time on his phone reads 19:56. Without a word, the two of them leave the dorm for the practice studio, Jaemin’s arm slung around Renjun’s shoulder. 

Renjun pushes the door of the practice room open, then sits down. “Did you already have something in mind?” Jaemin perks up at that, unlocking his phone and handing it to Renjun before settling down next to him. It’s already opened to a youtube video.

“I know it’s a little more...um….provocative, so if you don’t feel comfortable doing it then we can just find a different one!” With that in mind, Renjun takes Jaemin’s phone and an airpod before clicking play. He’s right — it’s a little more hips and bodyrolling than he usually does, but it’s not anything that he hasn’t practiced before. The thing is, it seems to be more of a partner dance than anything, and Renjun peeks up at Jaemin.

“Na Jaemin, are you asking me to get...this? close? To your face?” Jaemin scoffs, his usual smile still wide on his face, before slipping into his exaggerated aegyo. He flutters his eyelashes and puts his hands under his chin, cupping his face.

“Come on, Wenjunnie, you alweady admitted the cwush u had on me duwing We Young pwomotions, this shouldn’t be a pwoblem,” he sweetly sings, and Renjun can feel his cheeks flush as he shoves an elbow into Jaemin’s side and throws Jaemin’s phone into his lap. 

“Oh my god, it’s been like two years since then, I regret ever telling you,” he groans, and Jaemin snickers, but sobers up quickly, shaking his head.

“No, I’m proud of you for being brave and I’m grateful you trusted me enough to tell me that you...you know,” he flicks his wrist and Renjun snickers, but that’s enough to understand what he’s saying.  _ Thank you for trusting me enough to come out to me. _ “And if you do really feel uncomfortable getting that close to my face like that, then we can find something else.”

“No, it’s okay,” Renjun stands up to stretch, and the other follows suit. They slip into the same old routine, comfortably learning and correcting each other as they always have. It’s during one particularly unstable move that Renjun trips and crashes onto Jaemin, who yelps and falls backwards. For a moment, Renjun winces at the bruise that’s definitely going to form from Jaemin’s elbow digging into his ribs, but he decides that maybe they’ve learned enough for today - a bleary glance at the clock says it’s already midnight, approaching 1 am. 

Unfortunately, this is also when the door of the practice room opens, and hurried steps rush in.

“Hyuckie!” Jaemin says delightedly, and Renjun scrambles off of his friend to face Donghyuck, who looks almost disturbingly pale and is just staring at Jaemin.

“Donghyuck,” Renjun greets, brushing off his clothes. “Are you okay?” Those three words seem to bring Donghyuck back to reality, and he blinks a few times before pointing an accusing finger at the two of them.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you this question? What was that?”

“Renjun tripped and fell on top of me,” Jaemin provides, and this seems to calm Donghyuck down considerably, but he still looks mildly worried.

“Are you both fine, then? No injuries?” Renjun knows why he’s asking; any injuries sustained could very well set them back from promotions or activities. He winces, a hand moving to his stomach.

“Yeah, Jaemin elbowed me as we fell, so I wouldn’t say no injuries, but nothing threatening,” he drawls. “We’ll be alright, Donghyuck. We’ve had worse. Hey, what are you doing here anyways? Practicing with 127 hyungs?” Donghyuck nods, and he moves to leave, but pauses at the door.

“Just...take care of yourselves. Especially you,” he jabs his finger in Jaemin’s direction, and Jaemin has the decency to at least look a little guilty. They all remember We Go Up, of course. It’s why Jaemin is a little more cautious during practice, a little more aware of his practice hours, why the others are a little more gentle with their rough and tumble playing around. The door clicks as Donghyuck closes it, and they sit in silence for a minute before Jaemin says, quite smugly, “Quit making heart eyes at him. I don’t know how he hasn’t caught on yet.”

Renjun shoves him, nevermind the fact that he literally just threw his entire weight onto the blonde on accident earlier. They both agree to go home after Jeno sends a picture of dinner, warning them that if they don’t come soon, the kids will finish it all, but it’s not until Renjun has finally showered, eaten, and climbed into bed does he realize that Donghyuck had never answered his question.

The next couple days are absolute hell. Why? Donghyuck keeps avoiding him.

So maybe Renjun’s _ just _ a little bitter. He finally got the courage to confess, and now of all times, he’s getting shafted by his crush. It’s annoying, especially when they’re in vocal class together practicing with their coach and Donghyuck won’t spare him so much as a glance. When class is over, he speeds out the door like there’s no tomorrow, and he hardly even answers Renjun’s texts or calls, which is a massive indicator that something is wrong. Worse is —

“Hyuck,” Jeno is speaking into the phone, clenched between his shoulder and ear while his hands fiddle with his keyboard and his eyes remain focused on his monitor, “dude, come on, we haven’t even seen you for the last week, are the 127 hyungs really that much better than us?” Donghyuck must say something, because Jeno laughs, and then suddenly the call ends and Jeno is back to focusing 100% on his game.

Worse is the fact that Donghyuck is talking to everyone  _ except  _ him. So it must have been something that he’d done, but as much as Renjun wracks his brain, he can’t even come up with anything. He brings it up to Jeno before they sleep after about a week of it happening.

“Donghyuck doesn’t normally act like this,” he complains, “he would let me know if I did something wrong, right?” The bottle of stars sits pretty on his desk, the scant moonlight from the barely open window lighting up the glass. It’s been untouched ever since he finished it. Jeno is silent for a little, and Renjun sits up, peering over the bed rails even though he knows he won’t be able to see Jeno.

“...Jeno? Did you fall asleep?”

“No,” Jeno replies, sounding tired. Renjun lies back down. 

“I’m just worried,” he mumbles, and Jeno shifts in his bed, sighing. It’s the kind of sigh he makes when he’s being contemplative, and Renjun wonders what Jeno is thinking about.

“Jun,” he says eventually, “Hyuck will come around. If not, we’ll make him, okay? I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong.”

It’s easy to say, but Renjun bites his tongue before his exhaustion-addled brain can make a stupid comment. “...Okay. ...Good night, Jeno.”

“Good night, Renjun.”

Intervention comes in the form of not just Jeno, but Taeyong, Doyoung, and Taeil locking the two of them into one of the practice rooms. Donghyuck looks like he’s about to be sick, and Renjun can’t say that he doesn’t really feel the same way. They sit in silence for a while, the only sounds the ticking of the clock on the wall and faint music as the members of 127 continue their practice in another room. 

Surprisingly (or maybe not at all), Donghyuck speaks up first. He looks tired; his skin isn’t as bright as it normally is and hints of dark circles are visible under his eyes. “I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

Honestly, if he wasn’t so relieved that Donghyuck is speaking to him again, Renjun would really rip him a new one. “You want to explain that?” The other’s lips press into a thin line, and the “feels like I’m going to be sick” expression comes back. Renjun wants to get that expression off his face and have it never come back, somehow.

“Not really, but I think you deserve to know,” he says stiffly. “You remember when you fell on top of Jaemin a week ago?”

“Yeah,” Renjun furrows his brows, confused. “You looked white as a sheet, by the way. You didn’t answer my question if you were okay.”

“I didn’t?” Donghyuck looks a little lost, but he sighs and continues. “Anyways. I...saw you lying on top of Jaemin, and, I mean, it’s not like this is a new development or anything, but. I don’t know. I just...felt so horrible seeing that. And...it bothered me for a while, because I couldn’t figure out why. But every time you texted or called or during class, when we sat together, I kept remembering that moment and that feeling again…” He trails off, and it takes all of Renjun’s patience for him not to shake Donghyuck by the shoulders and ask him  _ what.  _ What was the feeling? Did you figure it out?

It sounds all too familiar, really, that ugly feeling; Renjun knows because he  _ might _ have gotten irrationally jealous over Mark hogging all of Donghyuck’s attention when they were all together sometimes. He tries not to think about the other possibilities it could be - disgust? Feelings for Jaemin? He can’t just assume these things, anyways. Taeyong would be so disappointed if he didn’t let Donghyuck explain himself.

“And you’ve been losing sleep thinking about it,” Renjun offhandedly comments, and Donghyuck laughs, sharp and tired.

“Yeah. I have. And I even asked everyone else, you know? They all told me the same thing that I was thinking. But I wasn’t brave enough to admit it.”

“You’re scared...of me finding out about this?” It hurts, he’s not going to pretend it doesn’t, and it must carry into his voice, because Donghyuck winces. 

“I’m scared of...what you’ll think of me after this,” he eventually says. “Logically, I know you. You would never push me away for something like this intentionally. But…”

“It’s okay,” Renjun says gently. “I understand. If you need a moment to recollect yourself, just take it.” The bottle of stars back at home is proof of that, but Donghyuck, of course, doesn’t know about that. The boy smiles at that, grateful, and takes a moment to breathe. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. In and out.

“Renjun,” he says. “I like you.” 

Renjun’s whole world stops turning.

“You - huh?” Renjun gapes at Donghyuck, who looks like he’d rather bury himself 6 feet under than repeat what he just said. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry...if you don’t feel comfortable around me anymore I can stay away from you outside of our job, and I’m really sorry, but I can get over it too, I don’t want to lose our friendship —“

“Nonononono,” Renjun frantically grabs Donghyuck by the shoulders, surprising him. “Donghyuck, will you come back to the dorm with me? I - this isn’t a rejection, by the way,” he hastily adds, and Donghyuck looks so relieved, albeit somewhat confused. He nods and Renjun gets up to try the door handle. Surprisingly, it opens, and when they peek out of the room, there’s nobody there. 

“They must have unlocked the door after they heard us talking,” Donghyuck grumbles. Renjun sighs, rolls his eyes at their antics, and locks his arm with Donghyuck’s.

“C’mon. Let’s go.”

The trip back home is tense. Renjun is practically vibrating with his anticipation to finally give Donghyuck the bottle of stars. Jisung greets them from the couch, making a noise of surprise at Donghyuck’s appearance, but Renjun ignores him and makes a beeline straight to his room. Jeno is lounging on his bed, looking up when Renjun opens the door.

“How’d it go?” Renjun grabs the bottle of stars and flashes him a smile. He can enact revenge on Jeno for locking him in the practice studio later, when he’s not in a rush to confess to Donghyuck.

“Perfect.” Understanding dawns on Jeno’s face, and he smiles, his eyes crinkling into crescents. Renjun hurries back out to find Donghyuck sitting on the couch, drawn in and unsure. Jisung has disappeared. Renjun thrusts the bottle of stars at him, and Donghyuck stares blankly at it. “I made this. For you.” Cautiously, Donghyuck takes it, staring at the bottle, then flicking his gaze up to Renjun.

“This means…?”

“I like you too, Donghyuck,” Renjun says. “I’ve liked you since we started learning Go.” If Renjun didn’t feel so nervous, he would have laughed at the expression on Donghyuck’s face. 

“You...me?” He seems incredulous, looking around as if searching for a hidden camera. “This isn’t a joke, right?”

“Of course not,” Renjun snaps, dragging Donghyuck up from the couch into a tight hug. “Of course not. I like you, Hyuckie.” What he doesn’t expect is the sob that follows, Donghyuck crying into Renjun’s hoodie.

“Thank god,” he says in between sobs. “Thank god. I was so stressed about this. I was so scared...” Renjun rubs circles into his back, rocking them back and forth. Eventually, Donghyuck does look up, his eyes rimmed red from crying. “Can I…” Renjun sees his eyes flick down, so Renjun leans in. It’s salty from tears, but it’s also warm, sweet, and comforting like honey, and it’s Donghyuck through and through. When they break apart, Renjun smiles at him. This is the happiest he’s felt in a while. “I got your hoodie wet,” Donghyuck sighs. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Renjun mumbles, resting his chin on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “I can always wash it. And it’s okay to cry. You were bottling your feelings up, and that’s not good.” Donghyuck lightly hits him.

“When did you get so wise?”

“Ever since I became a radio dj,” he says, and Donghyuck laughs, clear and beautiful. A week without Donghyuck’s laugh has made this one all the better. The two of them stagger backwards, falling onto the couch, and it’s just how it’s always been. Donghyuck and Renjun, Renjun and Donghyuck, easy and familiar. Renjun kisses him a few more times, content with getting used to the feel of Donghyuck’s lips on his, until someone walks in and screams (Chenle). 

“Oh my god!” Renjun pulls away from Donghyuck and sits up, glaring at the younger for interrupting the moment. While Chenle’s covered his eyes, his lips are stretched in a happy smile. “I’m only 17! You’ve tainted my innocence forever!”

“You say that like you didn’t watch Seven Deadly Sins when you were 15,” Renjun sneers back, and Chenle giggles.

“Congrats, Renjun hyung, Donghyuck hyung,” he says, sincere, and Donghyuck narrows his eyes.

“Alright, what do you want from me, chicken?” Chenle laughs, full-bodied, with Renjun joining in. Jisung skitters out of his room, curious, and his eyes flick to Renjun, who is still straddling Donghyuck’s lap. His mouth parts into an ‘o’, which, considering the way Donghyuck looks right now, how Renjun himself must look right now - hooded eyes, red, bitten lips, mussed hair - is a bit underwhelming, if anything, and he claps.

“Congratulations, hyung,” he chirps, though specifically to who it’s unclear. “Oh —“ his eyes fall to the bottle of stars, which had been carefully placed on the coffee table at some point. “Renjun hyung! That’s what you dragged me out with you for a week ago?” He squawks, and Renjun nervously laughs, scratching at his nape.

“Yeah, thanks for unintentionally giving me a cover,” he says. Jisung rolls his eyes and pulls his phone out, starting to text. 

“A week ago?” Donghyuck asks, and Renjun is reminded that he is still comfortably sitting in his lap.

“The day Jaemin and I were learning the dance,” Renjun clarifies. “I had decided the night before to confess to you, but then after that day, you started avoiding me,” he grumbles. Donghyuck gives him an expression like a kicked puppy.

“I’m sorry…”

“No apologies, we got there in the end,” Renjun presses a finger to Donghyuck’s lips before leaning in and kissing him again. “You have a week to make up to me, though!” The front door bursts open at this moment, and Renjun falls over himself scrambling to get off Donghyuck - but it’s just Jaemin, who looks out of breath, his hair sticking up in all different directions. He crouches down for a moment to regain his breath, his palms pushing against his thighs, before straightening up and flying over to grab Renjun in a tight hug.

“You did it! I’m proud of you!” Renjun would like to say something, but Jaemin’s squeezing the air out of him, so Renjun just frantically taps the blonde’s arm.

“Nana, you’re crushing him,” Ah, there’s Jeno. Jaemin loosens his grip, but he’s still snugly wrapped around Renjun.

“Thanks, Jaemin,” Renjun says, half sarcastically. “It’s nice to be able to breathe again.”

“I am really proud of you, though!” Jaemin whines, the same charming grin plastered on his face. 

“We all are,” Jeno says, and the youngest two, who have been silent since Jaemin showed up, make noises of agreement. Chenle seems to be lost in his own world, Renjun notes. He’ll talk to him later.

“Thanks, guys,” Renjun says, wriggling out of Jaemin’s grasp to sit next to Donghyuck, who had been watching on with a small smile on his face. “Thanks for shoving me into a practice room with Donghyuck, I guess,” he glares pointedly at Jeno, who just grins.

“Well, it worked, didn’t it? For the record, we’re proud of you too, Donghyuck.” Donghyuck makes an exaggerated retching noise and action, but everyone can tell he’s grateful.

“Too sappy! You guys are getting way too sappy!” Jeno rolls his eyes and laughs, and soon, they’re all joking around and talking like they usually are. Frankly, it’s so relieving, like a three tonne weight has been lifted off his chest; even after confessing to Donghyuck, the both of them essentially coming out after being in this group after so long, nothing has to change. He’s grateful for that.


End file.
